Coleman knows Ward from his time as Wales boss, but perhaps Warburton should consider joining Sunderland in the race to sign the 24-year-old.

Ward may be tempted to join the Black Cats due to Coleman's presence at the Stadium of Light - if he is indeed temporarily allowed to leave Liverpool in January - but it would hardly be a surprise if a move to the City Ground also appealed to him.

Warburton's men are just two points off the play-off places currently despite struggling for consistency all season - they have won eight and lost nine of their opening 17 games.

If they can find some consistency before January, they should be in an even better position, and it will be even harder for Ward to turn down a move if Forest decided to join the race for his signature. And given that he helped Huddersfield clinch promotion last season, it would certainly be a coup for Forest to bring the Welshman in, so perhaps they should add the stopper to their list of targets.